Dublin City Council has denied that homeless families in hotels are being given priority for housing in an attempt to comply with a Government deadline.
Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government Simon Coveney has promised to end the practice of putting up families in hotels and B&Bs by 1 July.
United Left Cllr Pat Dunne said he had been told that families in other types of emergency accommodation provided by the council had been told there were to be bypassed for housing because of the need to find homes for those in hotels.
However Brendan Kenny, a deputy chief executive with responsibility for housing, said there had not been any change in policy.
He said it was the council's intention to have "a small number of people" in hotels by July but said it would be a "huge challenge".
Mr Kenny said hotel families would housed through Rapid Build, Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) and co-operative living facilities know as Hubs.
The number of homeless families living in hotels in Dublin increased by nearly 5% to 801 at the end of last month. The number had been falling each month since last October.
A housing supply report presented to the council showed that 716 units of social housing were provided by the council in the first three months of 2017 compared to 2,173 for 2016.
New plan to provide 1,500 social housing units
A new form of Public Private Partnership (PPP) to provide 1,500 social housing units has been passed by Dublin City councillors.
Five hundred units will be built in the first round with developments of at least 50 units in Dublin city, Dublin south, Kildare, Wicklow and Louth with Dublin City Council acting as the lead authority.
In Dublin, there will be 70 social rental units in Scribblestown, Finglas and 150 at Ayrefield, Coolock.
The developments will take place on local authority land but in contrast to previous PPPs the councils will retain ownership of the land paying a private company over a 25-year period to build and maintain the units which then revert to the ownership of the council.
Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan acknowledged that many councillors had reservations about PPPs but urged them to pass the report so that the provision of social housing could go ahead.
Sinn Féin Cllr Daithí Doolan said his party had fundamental doubts about PPPs which he said had left a "legacy of destruction" in the city but they would not stand in the way of social housing.
A motion from Éilis Ryan of the Workers' Party that the plan be delayed until the Government consider setting up a State agency to build social housing was defeated by 42 votes to seven.
The monthly meeting of councillors heard that residents in Finglas and Coolock had concerns about the fact that the new developments are going to be 100% social housing.
Mr Keegan had said the PPP plan allowed the social housing to built at a cost that would be "off balance sheet" according to EU rules.
This type of PPP has previously been used to build schools, roads and health care centres.
